My husband and I are intending to acquire a 3 bedroom flat in Shrewsbury with a mortgage. We have a Shrewsbury lawyer, but the mortgage company says she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have little choice but to use one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Shrewsbury solicitor and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Shrewsbury conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Completed the sale of my flat in Shrewsbury last August yet the purchaser is calling daily to moan that her conveyancer needs to hear from mysolicitor. What are the post completion sale formalities following completion?
After completion of your disposal your solicitor is committed to forward the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your conveyancer must also evidence that the home loan has been redeemed to the buyers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion steps just for conveyancing in Shrewsbury.
I know that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Do I need chancel insurance when acquiring a property in Shrewsbury? or Apparently there is historic law that means some owners of property living in a parish church boundary may be liable to pay for maintenance to the chancel within the church. Is this a legitimate concern for conveyancing in Shrewsbury?
Unless a previous purchase of the property took place post 12 October 2013 you could expect lawyers delivering conveyancing in Shrewsbury to continue to recommend a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Georgian property in Shrewsbury. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Leeds Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Shrewsbury and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Shrewsbury conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?
When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Shrewsbury conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non Shrewsbury conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be helpful:
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What are the legal fees for lease extension work? Can they put you in touch with clients in Shrewsbury who can give a testimonial?
Shrewsbury Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying
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This information is important as a) areas could result in problems for the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the tenants have an issue with the running of the building you will need to have complete disclosure What is the yearly service fee and ground rent? For many Shrewsbury leaseholds the cost for major works are not wrapped into the maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Shrewsbury obliged leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for major repairs or maintenance.
There are numerous properties in Shrewsbury on private lanes. I am acquiring such a house. Are there any advantages to purchasing a residence on a privately owned road?
Shrewsbury conveyancing firms are well versed in dealing houseson private. Your conveyancing practitioner should investigate Land Registry data to identify any rights or liabilities. It is possible that there is a management company (wholly owned by residents) that proprietors make annual payments for the upkeep of the road. Where one exists, the road should be maintained and appear nicer than council maintained.